NAACP mourns the loss of Dr. Maxine Smith

Dr. Maxine Smith was Executive Secretary of the Memphis Branch of the NAACP from 1962 to 1995. In 1971, she became the first African American to be elected to the Memphis Board of Education. She served as President of the Memphis Board of Education for two terms. In 2003, Dr. Smith and Bill Clinton were awarded the prestigious Freedom Award by the National Civil Rights Museum, and in 2004 she was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters from her alma mater Spelman College.

Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the Board of Directors, notes the impact of Dr. Smith's work:

“A true fighting force of the civil rights and education reform movement has passed on. Dr. Maxine Smith’s leadership and unyielding faith in equality for all were essential to the NAACP efforts to ensure quality public education for America's children. Her spirit lives on in our national movement and in the educational institutions and businesses she helped to integrate in Tennessee.”

“Today, we mourn the passing of a great civil rights and education leader. Dr. Smith defined the civil rights movement in Tennessee, a hotbed of segregation. Her mentorship of the Memphis Eight brought Memphis State University into the age of integrated schools. Dr. Smith ensured her legacy by remaining an active leader in the Memphis school system for decades after the first battle was won. She was a hero and will be truly missed.”